Chapter 14: Sociological Theories (Social Structural Theories) Pt. 2 Flashcards
What is the primary focus of Walter Miller’s “Focal Concerns” theory?
lower class boys
According to Walter Miller’s “Focal Concerns” lower class boys are more prone to crime than middle class boys. Why is this?
because they place moreimportance onparticular values that areassociated with crime
What are the “focal concerns” or values of lower class boys according to “Focal Concerns” theory?
(1) toughness
(2) trouble
(3) smartness
(4) excitement
(5) fate
(6) autonomy
Which “focal concern” is this: having physical strength,
toughness
Which “focal concern” is this: a willingness to fight
toughness
Which “focal concern” is this: being soft or sentimental is devalued
toughness
Which “focal concern” is this: high value is placed on getting in and staying out of sticky situations
trouble
Which “focal concern” is this: being streetwise and able to outfox or outcome someone else
smartness
Which “focal concern” is this: a belief that life is guided by things outside of your control
fate
Which “focal concern” is this: the search for fun to liven up an otherwise boring life
excitement
Which “focal concern” is this: so theseteenagers and young adults take more chances to get lucky or“hit the jackpot”
fate
Which “focal concern” is this: high value is placed on personal freedom
autonomy
Which “focal concern” is this: being“your own man” and not being under the control
autonomy
What is the problem with Walter Miller’s “Focal Concerns”?
regardless of class and gender many teens exhibit these characteristics
What is a “subculture of violence”?
interpersonal violence is an expression ofsubcultural norms and values
The “__________ ___ _______” was extended to account for the high rates of violence in southern U.S. states.
subculture of violence
The “subculture of violence” was extended to account for the high rates of ________ in _________ U.S. states.
violence
southern
True or False: In somecultures, violence is an expected, tolerated, and even demandmeans of settling disputes.
True
In somecultures, violence is an expected, tolerated, and even demandmeans of settling disputes. How does this type of mindset develop?
this is learned at the how by how parents discipline their kids and how they are childhood play isresponded to
Who created “subculture of violence” and when?
initially developed by Marvin Wolfgang and Franco Ferracutti in the late 1960’s
What is the “code of the street”?
an unwritten and informal set of rules that have emerged ininner-city communities as a response to various socialproblems
Who created the term “code of the street”?
Elijah Anderson in the late 90’s
How is the “code of the street” developed?
violence is learned and reinforced in particular geographicalareas and within particularcultural traditions
Inner-city kids learn to“_____ ______” and act like“decent folks”.
“code switch”
Inner-city kids learn to“code switch” and act like“_______ _____”.
“decent folks”
Violence is both ________ and ___________ by the normative rules ofengagement and disengagement that underlie this“code of the street”.
enabled
constrained
Violence is both enabled and constrained by the _________ ______ ofengagement and disengagement that underlie this“code of the street”.
normative rules
Violence is both enabled and constrained by the normative rules of ____________ and ____________ that underlie this“code of the street”.
engagement
disengagement
What type of street verbalizations reflect the “code of the street”?
- “watch yourback”
- “protect yourself”
- “don’t punk out”
- “respect yourself”
- “if someone disses you, you gotta straighten them out”
Why is violence relatively common in inner-city areas?
they are staging areas for demonstrating,maintaining, and/or enhancing one’s reputation as someone who can handlethemselves and shouldn’t be messed with
Who created the Anomie/Strain theory?
Robert Merton
What is Merton’s Anomie/Strain Theory?
attributes high crime rates directly to the social structure and culture of thissociety
Why does society have strain?
(1) Americansociety places enormous cultural value on the achievement of material success, but thelegitimate socialstructural or institutional means ofachieving this goal are limited
(2) We have a strain between cultural goals and structural means of achieving them (especially in the lower class)
What is “anomie”?
contradiction between the cultural message and the social structure ofsociety
Who experiences “anomie”?
may be experienced by any social group
What are the various modes of adaption to this anomic friction between the cultural goals and the institutionalized means of achieving them?
(1) conformity
(2) innovation
(3) ritualism
(4) retreatism
(5) rebellion
Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this:
the acceptance of both the goals and means
conformity
Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this:
the acceptance of the goals of success but rejection of the legitimate means ofachieving it
innovation
Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this:
the rejection of both goals and means
ritualism
Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this:
the rejection of both goals and means
retreatism
Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this:
replacing thegoals and means with new ones
rebellion
What is Cloward and Ohlin’s Differential Opportunity Theory?
differentialopportunity for both legitimate and illegitimate pathways to living the American Dream
______ often provide illegitimate opportunities.
Gangs
What are the different type of gangs?
(1) criminal gangs
(2) conflict gangs
(3) retreatist gangs
What are the characteristics of criminal gangs?
- provide its recruits some monetary gain through organized criminal activities
- gang members have a particular skill that provides a limited opportunity for them to achieve some material success
What are the characteristics of conflict gangs?
- provide only a very small number of juveniles and young adults access to material success by being the “tough guy” or “enforcer”
- only a small number of enforcers are needed for any criminal organization
True or False: the illegal opportunities for success through conflict gangs are extremely limited
True
What are the characteristics of retreatist gangs?
-involve juvenile and young adults who are called “double losers”
- criminal organizations provide no illegitimate opportunities for them and they are blocked from achieving success goals through legitimate avenues
- they retreat, by getting high and drunk because of this failure on both domains
Because this theory presumes that most people want to live American dream of economic success what does it suggest?
it suggests that the simpler pathway to a crime-free society is by providing greater legitimate opportunity for everyone
